World Cup live streaming almost as popular as live TV

Nearly as many people plan to watch the 2018 World Cup via livestreamed video as on regular live television, according to a new study from the Interactive Advertising Bureau.

IAB’s study — which surveyed 4,200 people in 21 countries around the world — found 71 per cent said they were extremely or probably likely to watch matches live on TV, versus 65 per cent online.

In some non-European countries, digital streaming actually beat TV, while the most disproportionately pro-TV countries were found to be Germany, Italy, Sweden, and Hungary.

The report, which looks at live video habits worldwide, found that 67 per cent of those surveyed said they had consumed live video content on one platform or another, and 47 per cent said they were streaming more live video today than a year ago.

For streaming video content shorter than 30 minutes, smartphones and tablets were more popular than other devices. For video longer than 30 minutes, more people turned to smart TVs, OTT devices, gaming consoles, and their computers:

Live video content preferences, however, varied by country. Globally, more video consumers would rather watch free video with ads inserted than pay for a subscription service — though this, too, varies by region, with MENA users unusually interested in pay-per-video streams: